New Reminders: Principles

In general, principles are a kind of code or belief system that help us live an ethical and well- reasoned life.  They set the standards by which we make good decisions.  A principled person is one whose reasoning and conduct are based on truth and decency.  Honesty, fairness, respect, empathy, and integrity are examples of moral principles that guide ethical decision-making.  An unprincipled person is likely to act dishonestly, corruptly or illegally.  The behavior of a person without good moral principles is less compassionate and is often callus and cruel.

We Christians like to think that we are the only ones who have good moral principles.  It may be because our Christian values are so closely aligned with the moral principles described above. What we might have failed to consider, is the fact that our principles are not unique to us.  When we meet people from other cultures and religious traditions, we might be surprised that they too live by the same principles we value so highly.  We might be amazed to learn that every religion, known to man, has some form of the golden rule as part of their precepts.  We might be shocked to discover that there are cultures, other than ours, that teach their children to behave morally and justly, just as we do.  What than separates us from other good people, who have been taught to respect the rules and do the right things?

Christians and people who believe nothing in particular can be “good people”.  But Christianity is different because it says that true goodness is and has always been out of our reach, and that only God can bridge the gap between us and it.  While other people of good character and Christians can both demonstrate admirable traits like honesty, kindness, and integrity, the key difference lies in their foundation and motivation.  Christians base their character development on a belief in Jesus Christ and his teachings, viewing his sacrifice as the basis for forgiveness and a renewed life, while others may derive their character from personal ethics or other philosophical systems. 

While we might sit smugly and comfortably, in our beautiful centers of worship, feeling like we are really better than everyone else, we need to realize that we are not.  We need to understand that deep down, we know that we are actually not as perfect as we might like to imagine.  We, like everyone else, need to confront our own humanity, and admit that by ourselves, we cannot live up to our own ideals.  We have to confess, that as it says in Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  This may be hard for us to accept because it brings us up short, and tells us that we are no different from the very people we consider deplorable, and totally unprincipled people.  Fortunately for us, the very next verse goes on the say that we can be “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”  In other words, what separates believers from those who are counting on their goodness to be their salvation, is that Christians can rely on the fact that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us," Romans 5:8.